David Griffin says Kyrie Irving showed ‘courage’ by requesting trade

David Griffin pushes back against Ron Harper’s comments on Kyrie Irving.

Everyone has a take on Kyrie Irving’s trade request, and now we can add former Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin to that list.

Ultimately, Griffin said, he thinks Irving will end up being traded. But he said on today’s episode of The Jump that Irving showed “courage” by requesting a trade in the manner he did. Here’s a bit more of what Griffin had to say:

The absolute worst thing this guy could’ve done is pretend to be all in and sink the ship from within. Most guys don’t have the courage to do what he did. That’s not youth and ignorance. That’s a little bit more courage than people give him credit for.

This was in direct response to what former Cavs swingman Ron Harper said earlier today, calling Irving’s request a function of “youth” and “ignorance,” in an interview with Ohio.com:

When I used to play on bad teams and you trained all offseason to play 82 games, you get to the first round and you lose. You’re guaranteed to play till June. The East is good, but you know that you’re the best basketball team. I don’t really understand what’s behind it.

Harper started off his career with the Cavaliers before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. From there, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls where he won three championships and then moved to the Lakers where he finished his career with two more.

Griffin is right about Irving being courageous

It may seem like a simple thing to do, but requesting a trade is not easy. Irving is letting everyone know he’s ready to move on from his current situation, but here’s the thing: It’s not really in his control.

Irving might be unhappy, but the Cavaliers don’t have to trade him at all. If they do, they can trade him wherever they see fit. But, as Griffin said, the worst thing Irving could have done for himself was remain in a situation where he was unhappy.

He’s choosing to move on, and that means change. As we all know, most change involves risk. Irving was willing to take that risk. It was a calculated decision — one that takes a lot of faith in oneself and is impossible to make behind “youth” and “ignorance.”

Griffin knows Irving as well as anyone does

Irving wanted to request a trade after the Cavs won their title in 2016, but it was Griffin who talked him down from that demand, according to a report from ESPN. Irving’s relationship with Griffin is what kept him in Cleveland and made things work.

No, Griffin isn’t in the organization anymore. But he knows what he’s talking about. When he says Irving will probably be traded from Cleveland, it should be taken seriously. He knows how Irving feels and knows about his rocky relationship with the organization.

The Cavaliers don’t have to trade Irving, but it seems that there’s a chink there that’s beyond repair. As the Cavs GM, Griffin was able to fix it. But he’s in street clothes now and can’t set things back on the proper course.

Griffin noted that when Irving signed his extension in Cleveland, he didn’t anticipate LeBron James’ return. Instead, he was under the impression Gordon Hayward would be the main target and he’d be the main cog. Now, it seems, Irving wants to play out that scenario somewhere else.

Harper needs to accept that Irving is different from him

Sure, from an outside view things seem fine. The Cavs have gone to three straight finals and even won one. But ultimately, that might not be the end goal here for Irving and that’s fine if it’s not.

Whether Harper understands that isn’t really Irving’s problem. Just like everyone else outside the organization, Harper doesn’t know the dynamic within the Cavs locker room and he doesn’t know why Irving is doing this.

Just because Harper said he’d personally remain with the Cavaliers doesn’t mean that’s the correct choice for Irving. They’re different people with different sensibilities. Irving has the right to make whatever decisions he wants to make just like the Cavaliers have the right to trade him wherever they want.

But that’s something that has to be worked out within the organization and with Irving himself. That will be the case no matter what Harper has to say.